We proudly announce our selection of World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism by Norman Podhoretz as the Power Line book of the year (2007). Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, a contribution of $25,000 will be made in honor of the author to Soldiers’ Angels, thus giving the award a larger financial component than any of the major book awards. By comparison, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle awards provide for a $10,000 payment to the winning authors. With this award it is our intention to raise awareness of one of the several outstanding books published by conservative authors last year that have been or will be given short shrift by the Pulitzer and NBCC judges.

We judge Podhoretz’s book perhaps the most important published last year. It is an elegantly written assessment of the long war in which we are engaged, and a passionate defense of the Bush Doctrine…

Next Monday we will host a gala dinner in honor of Podhoretz. Among the guests scheduled to appear and comment on the issues raised by Podhoretz’s book are Henry Kissinger and Mark Steyn. We hope the occasion will provide a signal opportunity to reflect on the issues Podhoretz has engaged at a time when the Bush administration itself appears to be beating a hasty retreat from the Bush Doctrine in favor of Iraq Study Group “realism” or Clintonian vacuity on fronts other than Iraq. We plan to return with a report or two on the event next week.

Patty Patton-Bader the founder of Soldier’s Angels, spoke briefly on how her organization will spend the award money and how she hoped to upstage Henry Kissinger with her speech:

Dr. Henry Kissinger– is speaking now after the dinner.-The battle must be fought now and there should be no negotiating until the end of the conflict and not during the conflict.

The Challenge of Iraq–This is tied to the issue of the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons- the nature of the Iranian Regime compounds the problem. The fundamental question is where do you draw the line on nuclear weapons. You can’t just turn the world over to genocidal maniacs– this was averted during the Cold War. But, this situation is facing us with several of these countries who have their own agendas. This is a very different problem. The prospect of nuclear war will be difficult. Therefore, the spread of weapons to Iran is very important. At what point will the nuclear weapons program be irreversible? That seems to be a crucial question.

Mark Steyn– The erosion of Western will during the Cold War is significant.58% of Canadians say that their military should never be in foreign conflict ever. Radical Islam is hollowing out not just Pakistan and Iran but parts of England and France. Today we have fewer useful allies than in the past. Isolationists, liberal internationalists, etc. make it difficult. The war must be won at home. When the Republicans lose the White House in November, there will be more discomfort with the conservative movement and the way the war was waged under Bush. On

e of the oldest lessens is that “will trumps wealth.” The Roman Empire is an example of this.

Lt. Tom Cotton was in attendance. He is a Harvard Graduate and chose to join the military and has served in Iraq. His letters have been posted at the Power Line Blog.

Norman Podhoretz– We have more cause to be worried today than during WWII. It can not be said often enough that neither Hitler or Stalin were able to hit us in our homeland. Iran would be too eager to lend its weapons of mass destruction to its radical Islamic clients. We can complain all we want on the conditions of defeatism that we have developed… We need only point to the young men and women in uniform. They are by all accounts a match with their forebearers of World War II and World War I. Bush bares a striking resemblance to Harry Truman. The reason is that Truman recognized the Soviet threat. This is what Bush has done with the Islamic threat. John McCain, I am with, because he is willing to fight this fight against radical Islam. But what if Hillary or Barack becomes president? Will either one follow the acts of the Bush doctrine? Will he similarly see that America must make the Middle East safe for America by making the Middle East safe. Will he or she understand the despotisms of the Middle East would support these radical segments if we retreat? Will he or she stop defining torture down? (like John McCain) Is it too much to hope that a Democratic president will be forced by the realities of the situation. With Obama I fear what will happen. Unless they understand that this is an American war and not a Republican war, they be unable to stop the advance and spread of this dangerous great evil. We are forced to defend ourselves. We must understand the sanctity of liberty.

Expert Anne Bayefsky from EYE on the UN, Tim Wilson and fellow UN expert Claudia Rosett were in attendance.

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